beaumont



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

I 'J.-'BEAUMONT. APPARATUS FOR SUGGESSIVBLY DISPLAYING TABLETS FOR ADVERTISING.

No. 514,345. Patented Feb. 6, 18-94;

a Shets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

F. J. BEAUMONT. v APPARATUS FOR SUGGBSSIVBLY DISPLAYING TABLETS FOR ADVERTISING- Patented Feb. 6, 1894.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

F. J. BEAU-MONT. APPARATUS FOR SUGGESSIVBLY DISPLAYING TABLETS FOR ADVERTISING.

No. 514,345. Patented Feb. 6,1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

FREDERICK JOHN BEAUMONT, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE REVOLVING ADVERTISER COMPANY, LIMITED, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR SUCCESSIVELY DISPLAYTNG TABLETS FOR ADVERTISING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,3d5, dated February 6, 1894. Application filed March 27, 1893. Serial No 467,783- (No model.]

T0 at whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, FREDERICK J OHN BEAU- MONT, electrical engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at 37 Stockwell Park Crescent, Brixton, London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Successively Displaying Tablets for Advertising or other Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

Reference being had to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved apparatus, the casing being shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation, and Fig. 3 a plan, partly in horizontal section, of the said apparatus. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the rotating drum hereinafter described. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal central section, and Fig.6 a transverse section showing a modification of the said drum. Fig. 7 is an end elevation showing a further modification of my said invention, and Fig. 8 shows a still further modification thereof, and Fig. 9 is a side elevation partly in vertical section drawn to a reduced scale showing means for operating the apparatus through the brake-lever of a vehicle.

Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings. My invention relates to-apparatus for displaying tablets for advertising and other purposes, in such a manner that they are successively exposed and withdrawn from view.

The object of my said invention is to provide an improved apparatus of this kind or class, arranged to be operated intermittently through the medium of air or other fluid to which pressure is applied by the opening or the closing of a door, or by the depression of a foot-plate, or by the operation of a hand-lever or the like, or in any other convenient manner.

To accomplish this object my invention involves the features of construction, the combination or arrangement of devices, and the principles of operation hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings where the letter A indicates a box or case which is provided with a glass or other window A, and in which is inclosed the skeleton drum B having the advertisement tablets or name-plates O pivoted thereto. The skeleton drum B is mounted upon a spindle or arbor a supported by standards A and consists of two end plates or disks each provided with a circular series of holes near its periphery, in which are fitted the ends of rods 1) which serve as the pivots of the tablets G. A ratchet-wheel D is secured to or itself forms one end of the said drum B, and a readily adjustable or removable piece or disk 0 is secured, by means of screws or in any other suitable manner, to the other end of the said drum. On removing the said piece or disk 0, any of the said rods or pivots can be withdrawn, thus releasing the corresponding tablet of which they form the hinge. In cases where it is not desirable to withdraw the rod or pivot I) through one end of the drum, I allow the pivot at one end to rest in suitable recesses f in the periphery of one of the end plates or disks of the drum as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 and surround them with a detachable ring 0 which is secured by screws g or otherwise to the said end plate or disk. The ring a may further be provided with a slot or notch c as shown, and arranged to be turned about the axis of the drum,so thateither tablet may be removed without disturbing the other tablets, by simply'turning the ring a so as to bring the slot or notch 0 into the required position, as shown in Fig. 6, and then lifting the rod or pivot out of its recess f. The necessity for removing the ring 0 is thus obviated.

The drum rotating mechanism comprises a lever E pivoted at E to one of the standards A and carrying a pawl F which engages with the ratchet-wheel D. A retaining pawl G pivoted to the said standard A is also in engagement with the said ratchet-wheel D. The lever E is arranged to move up and down between two stops 61,62, and is acted upon by a spring e whereby it is held against the stop d. The said lever is in operative connection with a fluid-pressure mechanism, consisting of a piston rod H coupled to the lever E and having a piston H working in a cylinder J which is mounted on trunnions J so as to permit a slight oscillating motion of the piston as the upper end of the piston-rod moves through the are described by the lever E. Or the cylinder may be fixed and sufiicient play allowed in the joints.

Instead of admitting the fluid under pressure directly into the cylinder, a bellows K of india-rubber or other suitable material is arranged within the said cylinder, and is connected by a tube L with pressure applying mechanism consisting of a bellows M arranged within a cylinder or casing N, in which works a piston P arranged to be operated directly by hand or by the opening or closing of a door, or by the depression of a foot-plate, or by other convenient means, so as to compress the bellows M and thus apply the pressure by forcing the air or other fluid through the tube L into the bellows K; the bellows K being thereby expanded, the piston H and lever E are raised, and, through the medium of the pawl F, the drum B is turned throughasmall angle.

To hold the tablets or name plates in succession, I provide an overhanging stop, consisting of a bent arm Q preferably provided with a roller Q'Which is attached to the crossbar A for the purpose of holding up the tablets O on the upper leading quadrant of the drum, and allowing them to successively fall, so that they will be displayed in avertical or approximately vertical position. The stops 01,61 are so arranged that, in each upward stroke or movement of the lever E, the drum B moves through such an angle as to allow one tablet O to fall at a time, the next succeeding tablet then resting against the stop Q. I may, if desired, provide the stop d with a set-screw d as shown in Fig. 7, for regulating the movement of the lever E.

The operation of my improved apparatus constructed as above described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 9 is as follows, that is to say: On the compression of the bellows M, the air or other fluid is forced into the bellows K, thus expanding the same and moving the lever E up to the stop 01' or to the setscrew (1 and at the same time extending the spring e. In this movement, the drum .8 is turned by means of the pawl F and ratchetwheel D through a small angle, sufficient to move the front upper tablet O downward clear of the stop Q. The said tablet then falls by gravity, and the next succeeding tablet is held up by the stop until the drum is again turned. When the pressure is removed from the bellows M, the spring e re-acts and pulls down the lever E until it rests against the stop d, and at the same time permits or causes the contraction of the bellows K. These operations are repeated whenever the required pressure is applied to the air or other fluid in the bellows M. The advertisements or names on the tablets will, therefore, be dis played in succession, the said advertisements or names being painted or otherwise marked on one or both sides of the tablets and being visible through the window A of the case A.

It is obvious that the construction of my improved apparatus may be somewhat modified without departing from the nature of my said invention. For instance the bellows K may be placed directly under the end of the lever E as shown in Fig. 7, the piston H and cylinder J being dispensed with. The bellows M may, moreover, be actuated by the brake lever j of avehicle as shown in Fig. 9.

In cases where it is required to expose four tablets at once or to place the drum in avertical position, I provide each tablet with one or more springs has shown in Fig. 8, one end of which I attach to the drum and the other end of which bears against the tablet C so that, on the tablet being freed from the stop Q it is forced by its spring into such a position as to expose its other surface and the surface of the succeeding tablet. If four tablets are to be exposed simultaneously, I provide two stops Q as shown in Fig. 8 and provide windows in both sides of the box or case A. When the tablets themselves do not form a suflicient stop to retain the exposed tablet in a proper position I provide asuitable stop similar to Q to effect this. I also sometimes provide a sliding shutter capable of covering one or other of the exposed tablets according to its position so that I may when required show only one tablet at a time.

What I claim is- 1. The combination of an intermittently rotatable drum, a series of movable tablets or name plates pivotally attached thereto, drumrotating mechanism, a bellows adapted to actuate the said mechanism by its expansion, means for holding said drum stationary during the contraction of said bellows, means for alternately expanding and contracting the said bellows, and a stop which holds the tablets or name plates in succession until they are moved clear thereof by the rotation of the drum, substantially as described.

2. The combination of an intermittently rotatable drum, a series of movable tablets or name plates pivotally attached thereto, a swinging lever, means for turning the drum when the lever is moved, a bellows in operative connection with the lever, means for expanding the bellows to move the lever, and means for holding the drum stationary dur: ing the contraction of said bellows, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the skeleton drum consisting of rigid end plates or disks B and rods 1) removably fitted in the said end plates or disks, the movable tablets or name plates 0, pivotally mounted on the said rods, a mov- ICS tation of the saiddrum, substantially as dem scribed.

FREDERICK JOHN BEAUMONT.

Witnesses:

DAVID YOUNG, A. G. WEAVER, l1 Tc fi dclfil Southampton Buildings, London, 

